Mario Lopez Will Star In `Greg Louganis Story'

Q: Do you know what happened to Mario Lopez? He played A.C. Slater on "Saved By the Bell." Then he had his own show but it wasn't on for long. I look for him on TV every week. He's my favorite actor.

A: Since starring in "Saved By the Bell" and hosting the Saturday morning show "Name Your Adventure," Lopez has turned to TV movies. His next big project is "Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story," March 19 on USA cable. Lopez will portray the Olympic diver, from his troubled childhood, through his Olympic glory days and his dealing with HIV. A week later, he'll star in the NBC movie "Killing Griffin" with Jay Thomas. Lopez's first big break was playing the young nephew of comic Paul Rodriguez on the Latin-flavored sitcom "a.k.a. Pablo."

Q: Who is the handsome actor who gets knocked across the room by Miss Piggy in the potato chip commercial?

A: That's Antonio Sabato Jr. (Jagger on "General Hospital," "Earth 2," "Melrose Place"), who'll also pitches Calvin Klein underwear.

Q: Exactly what years did "Room 222" run on TV? What happened to the actors who played Dixon, Jason and Bernie?

A: The classroom drama ran from 1969 until 1974. James L. Brooks (who would go on to work on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Rhoda," Fox's Tracey Ullman Show" and `"axi"), created the series. Lloyd Haynes played black history teacher Pete Dixon, whose classroom number was 222. He later appeared in `"ynasty" and `"eneral Hospital" before he died of lung cancer on New Year's Eve 1986. The students Jason and Bernie were played by Heshimu and David Joliffe, two names that haven't popped up since. Karen Valentine won an Emmy for her `"22" role as an idealistic student teacher. Denise Nicholas, the high school counselor and Dixon's girlfriend, went on to play Harriet DeLong on `"n the Heat of the Night." Eric Laneuville, student Larry, landed on `"t. Elsewhere" (orderly Luther Hawkins) where began directing and, in 1992, won an Emmy for directing an episode of `"'ll Fly Away."

Q: My mom and I are having a dispute about Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway on "ER." She says they were once married. I think they were only in a serious relationship. Who's right?

A: "ER's" head nurse and philandering pediatrician once were lovers. In the series' first episode, Carol (Julianna Margulies) barely survived a suicide attempt brought on by Doug's (George Clooney) infidelities. Later, Carol nearly married Dr. John "Tag" Taglieri. Now, in season 3, Doug and Carol have rekindled their friendship but, so far, not on a romantic basis.

Q: We enjoyed Bette Midler's show from Las Vegas on HBO. She is great. Does she have any children and how old are they?

A: Midler's 10-year-old daughter, Sophie Frederica Alohilani von Hasselberg, made a brief appearance in "Diva Las Vegas!," her mother's recent HBO special, during the Hawaiian ukulele number. Sophie is the only child of Midler and her husband, artist Martin von Hasselburg. Send your questions about TV to: the Dallas Morning News, Communications Center, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265. Sorry, no personal replies.